And so the season begins ....

23 Sep 2019 by Crewe Vagrants Hockey Club

Saturday 21st September 2019

Mens 2s v Mens 3s – 5-2 respectively
Never an easy fixture between club teams but this turned into a really entertaining game. The 2s dominated possession in the first half but only managed a single goal against a well organised 3s defence. The second half saw the 3s enjoying the better of the early exchanges with Dave Watson forcing an equaliser after good work from Si Oakes. And when Steve Douglas tapped in a second after the 2s defence was caught napping at a long corner an upset looked possible. But relentless pressure from a revived 2s, sparked into life by a good individual goal from Rob Featherstone, saw 3 more goals added by Greg Marshall, Jamie Allen and Nick Marshall as the 3s tired in the heat. Both sides will see this as an encouraging start to the season

Ladies 2s v Triton 1s – 8-1 loss
Hockey Saturdays are back! The ladies 2s didn’t have far to travel for their early push back against Triton Ladies 1s. The sun was shining, and the team was ready with 2nd team debuts for Lily Gorman, Rachel Miller and Emma Buckley. Crewe started strong and held up Triton, with end to end game play. Triton snuck an early goal to go 1 up. Crewe remained calm and focused to level up with a team effort goal from Jennie Hewitt and Abi Axon pushing it across the goal line behind the keeper. The defensive back line of Katie Gibbs Blythe, Rachel Miller, Abi Axon and Grace Newman worked hard to hold off Triton from gaining a second goal with some exceptional tackles from Abi Axon and smashing saves from player of the match Grace Leonard. Not long before the half time whistle blew Triton were awarded a questionable penalty flick, which was scored and took them up to 2-1.
Crewe continued to work hard with opportunities from a couple of short corners but were unable to convert. Unfortunately, Triton’s strong centre forward kept finding the top right corner of the goal.
Despite the finishing score this was a very positive start for the ladies 2s.

Mens 1s v Lymm 1s -1-0 win
The men’s 1s started the season with the short trip to league newcomers Lymm. Crewe started patiently early on with the defensive unit keeping the ball. Crewe grew into the game with 2 short corners and countless half chances. Half time came and went with neither goal keeper being troubled. Late in the second half player coach Mark Bateman found himself with his back to goal in the circle but managed to put the ball high into the net. This goal proved to be the difference. Final score Lymm 0 Crewe Vagrants 1

Ladies 1s v Stockport Bramhall – 4-1 loss
On a hot and sunny day in Crewe the 1st team game saw debuts from; Molly Pheasy, April Roome and Freya Diamond. From the off, Stockport Bramhall came out strong scoring within the 1st minute by a strike from the top of the D taking Crewe by surprise. After some neat passing play from the Crewe midfield, Freya Diamond went on the attack putting the ball just wide of the goal. In response Stockport managed to get a lucky second within 10 minutes however Crewe seemed to settle after this. The calm words of Gilly Gibbs-Blythe at the back helped Crewe regain their composure with some strong saves by Alison Smith. Some smooth passing up the wing from April Roome, Steph Thompson and Jen Zwijnen led to a number of short corners. Just before the half time whistle, a Zoe Franklin shot from a short corner was saved by a defenders body on the line. With her silky stick skills, man of the match, Gilly Gibbs-Blythe sent the ball top corner, making the score line 2-1 at half time. Crewe came out of the gates ready at the start of the second half, Strong attacks were made by forwards Freya Diamond, Molly Pheasy And Bev Jackson. Tight marking from centre back Kate Humphrey and mid Emily Ford ensured Stockport Bramhall were put under pressure when attempting to move forward. Crewe were awarded another short corner. A Georgie Brown straight strike was saved by the keeper on the line and a scrap for the ball ensued. Stockport went on to score a further 2 goals despite the efforts of Crewe who were continually fighting for the ball and putting the opposition under pressure. A tough week for Crewe. Stockport got lucky with a number of the goals and the score line didn’t reflect the end to end nature of the game.

Ladies 4s v Bebbington 2s – 4-0 win
Raring to play, we made the trip over to the Wirral. Pleased to have lots of returning players to the squad as well as Rachel Evans and Chloe Tang making their league debut. Balmy conditions prevailed but did not deter our gumption. From the off, we pressed high and the speedy attackers swarmed the defence. As the game progressed, our skills became slicker and slicker with confidence growing at a rapid rate. Half time saw 0-0 which did not reflect the quality of our game. This was due to outstanding saves from their goalkeeper, who, ultimately, kept us from scoring in double figures. Every single player gave of their best and worked as part of the team; communicating, passing the ball and providing encouragement. Bebbington, on a number of occasions, managed to get past the midfield but, much to their disappointment, were intercepted and channeled by our defence. We kept a clean sheet on defensive short corners and two of our goals were scored from those awarded in our favour. A great team spirit and euphoria on winning our first game. MOM Captain Dawn Price Next week, a home match hosting Macclesfield 3’s

Ladies 3s v Wrexham 2s – 5-4 loss

The first game of the season was against a new Wrexham team who came to the Vagrants with a familiar face on the squad and plenty of subs so we knew it wasn’t going to be easy! We welcomed a new face, Leanne to the team who jelled really well. We showed great commitment and determination from the whistle setting a press applying pressure to Wrexham early on. The super 3 at the back held a great defensive line to keep level for the first quarter. Unfortunately, after some chances Wrexham got the better of us to go 1-0. As a new team we worked hard; running well for the duration of the first half but Wrexham managed to slip another two goals in. Crewe kept their composure and managed to create a chance in the D with Erin working well with Rachel for Tricia to get the touch in the goal — not bad with a wrist injury!! However, Wrexham were still 4-1 up at half time! After a positive team talk Crewe kept their heads up and replied with some solid defending and midfield distribution to the forwards winning a couple of short corners.
They were executed well between Charlotte and man of the match Nova who struck them passed the keeper. This gave Crewe a boost and Wrexham were increasingly unsettled by Crewe’s solid press and interceptions. Crewe got tired near the end of the match but every player gave 110%. Wrexham got another goal from a strike in the D but Rachel reacted for Crewe running up the side line to take a well-deserved strike, taking the score to 5-4 where it stayed. We may have lost but considering Crewe were 4-1 down at half time there are certainly many positives to be taken for the rest of the season!